The long job of Monitoring

Abstract

The giant anteater is one of the most bizarre and striking South American mammal. In the province of Corrientes (Argentina) this species became extinct decades ago. This book recounts the adventures and dedicated efforts to bring back this great mammal to the forests and grasslands of the Ibera Natural Reserve, one of the most spectacular wilderness areas of America. The words of renowned scientists and novice technicians, naturalists and communicators are no this pages. All of them make a tribute to the cause of ecological restoration, the noble task of making an ecosystem to its original integrity and again have co-evolved species on it. Throughout the book we discover the philosophical and scientific framework of ecological restoration along the different stages of the reintroduction process: legal permits, rescue and care for orphaned or wounded anteaters, radio-marking, release and monitoring of animals plus actions to communicate the project to society. In this sense, the anteater return to Ibera is a call of hope that tells us that environmental degradation is not an inevitable process, provided they join efforts and work with passion and professionalism. The images and texts in this book attest to this.